- Medalist Base Layers
- Lowe Fishing Machine 165
- Karavan Galvanized Trailer
- Motorguide Wireless 55 lb thrust trolling moter
- Yamaha 20 horse outboard
- Lowrance X50 Depth/Fish finder
- Shimano, Berkly, Cabelas, Zebco, rod and reels
- Frabill landing net
- Molded ants, Jigs
- Mister Twister electric fillet knife
- Berkley polarized glasses
- Plano Softsider 3372 Tackle Bag
- Plano Guide series 3336 tackle bag
- The Fish Grip by Northern Brass Rattler
May is one of my favorite times to be outdoors. I love to welcome in spring on the lake chasing the local crappies with friends old and new. As I’m writing this, I realize most of the month was spent fishing, and obviously, I didn’t give turkey hunting the attention it needed to be successful. I spent most of my free time on the lake and have no regrets. Last month, I had the opportunity to fish with my old fishing buddies including my wife, son, brother, and father, as well as some new fishing buddies including Andy Traister, Scott Weller, and Mike Turk. Most of my efforts on the lake were concentrated to Pymatuning, but also included new experiences fishing the Allegheny River with Mike Turk and Shenango Reservoir with Andy Traister.
My spring fishing season began in mid April at Pymatuning Lake with my father and my brother. I wanted to get to know this lake, since I have only fished it sparingly in the past, but have heard many good things about the fishery. The season started out slow, with a grand total of 3 perch in a combined 12 hours of fishing. Obviously, it was early and the extreme cold temperatures didn’t help, but I had hoped to pick up a few more fish than we had. After getting humbled at Pymatuning, we went to Lake Wilhelm and sifted through many smaller fish before finding a few “keepers” to bring home for our first mess of bluegill and crappie.
As May began, the weather as well as the fishing started to heat up. I had talked at length with a friend from work about Pymatuning Lake, and learned a few new techniques/areas to fish, which helped us connect with many crappie and bluegill. I now love to fish Pymatuning, and find myself wanting to fish it every time I hook up the boat.
As mentioned earlier, I had the in opportunity to fish the Allegheny with a friend from work. Though I grew up by the river and spent hundreds of hours fishing it, I never had opportunity to fish it from a boat. This was also my first opportunity to witness a jet engine and a specialized boat running on inches of water. At first it was odd and a bit unnerving knowing there was less than a foot of water under us as we were running, but it didn’t take long to get used to. The fishing was slow that day, with only a couple small bass caught, but I was able to witness miles of beautiful country, as well as several bald eagles, and many great looking “fishing holes”. Now I know why so many people are hooked on fishing the river, with unlimited miles of rugged terrain, as well as great fishing.
I also had the opportunity to fish Shenango Lake for the first time, with fellow field staffer and friend Andy Traister. Andy had grown up fishing Shenango, and his knowledge of the lake became immediately apparent as he had us on fish from the start. As we started fishing, I noticed his fishing rig was much different than mine. I was using the same rig I used on Pymatuning, but it never drew a strike, as Andy was catching fish on every drift. I was a bit stubborn and didn’t change at first, but it didn’t take long for me to change my presentation to imitate, as best I could, what Andy was doing. Soon after, I was getting in on the action, and started catching a few myself. A bonus to this trip was catching a couple Northern Pike which Andy said he never caught in all his years fishing at Shenango.
Fishing is one of my favorite outdoor pursuits. It is a chance for me to get away, relax and enjoy the outdoors. I am thankful of the many great opportunities we have in PA and hope everyone takes the time to get out and enjoy them. Many great moments can be shared with family and friends in the PA outdoors. Until next time, as always, good luck and be safe.
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